He held her gently as she cried. “We will go to Longbourn and speak to your parents—both of them this time—and make them see reason. Lydia will go to school; my aunt found one this summer we thought would be appropriate for her, but your father did not allow her to go at that time. This time, we will simply not offer him a choice. I will write to the merchants in Meryton to inform them I will not pay for any fripperies or anything else Mrs Bennet insists she needs.” He paused before he continued more seriously: “But Elizabeth, I hope you agree this must be the final straw. We cannot continue to threaten and not follow through, or he will never take us seriously. Ifhe believes we will bail him out anytime he gets into trouble, nothing will change.”
Elizabeth agreed. “I never wanted anything else, William. I just wanted you to talk to me about it and not make a decision on your own. I do not want to throw my father into prison for his debts, but he must understand we can and will.”
She continued to cry in his arms until she fell asleep. Darcy held her in his arms for a time, but as his arms began to ache, slowly moved her to where she was asleep on the couch.
When Elizabeth woke sometime later,she was at first confused about how she ended up on the settee in their sitting room. As soon as she stirred, however, her husband was by her side, and the memory of their conversation flooded back. Instantly, she was in tears again.
“Love, all is well,” he soothed her. “We will journey to Longbourn to arrange for Lydia to be settled somewhere—I believe it will be best if she attends a school away from London for a time. We will discuss the recommendations we received with my aunt; she will know where to send Lydia.”
“This is yet another expense you will have to pay because of my family. I hate that my father’s indolence has created yet another problem for you to solve. It is not fair to you,” Elizabeth stated. “Not only are you housing two of my sisters and paying for a governess for the other two, but now you will have to bear the expense of school for Lydia.”
“It is no hardship for us, my dear,” Darcy replied. “But with yet another daughter away from his house, your father can afford to pay the expenses of sending Lydia to school himself. We can alter the agreement based on his failure to do as he agreed and require him to pay more each quarter to cover the difference.”
“As much as I do not relish making a trip to Longbourn, I believe confronting both of my parents will be necessary. I will inform Mama I will not be opening any more letters from her until she apologises and we can speak to Papa about Mama’s behaviour. This incident with Lydia, while relatively minor, could create a far worse situation if her behaviour is not remedied,” Elizabeth ranted.
“This time, sheonlystepped out onto the balcony with one of the Lucas boys. He is barely older than Lydia. Sir William saw them and dragged them back inside before anything could happen,” Elizabeth sighed. “Sir William did not want to force a marriage between them—they are both far too young and immature for marriage. It was apparently Lydia’s idea—she told Mama all she intended was a kiss, but there is no way of knowing if Lydia was telling the truth. And there is no telling what she will donexttime. Lady Lucas visited Longbourn the next day and informed Mama of the event. She will not gossip—she has a vested interest in protecting her son’s reputation and will have to protect Lydia’s to protect his. She does not want Lydia and her younger son married any more than Mama wants Lydia married to a Lucas.”
Darcy rolled his eyes. “The ladies do not get on?”
Elizabeth laughed. “No, they do not. They are engaged in some sort of competition to see who can best the other. When Mr Collins proposed to Charlotte, it made my rejection of him so much worse, and I thought Mama would never forgive me. Iam certain she crowed loudly when she learned of my wedding to you, although I wonder how she explained my marrying in London.”
Moving next to his wife, Darcy wrapped Elizabeth in his arms. They spoke more about the situation before they moved back to his desk to reply to their letters. Darcy wrote letters to Longbourn’s steward and the governess about his resolve regarding Mrs Bennet and Lydia and then wrote terse missives to both Mr and Mrs Bennet regarding their behaviour. He tasked Mr Todd with informing the milliner and dressmaker that he did not have accounts at their establishments and would not pay any charges for the Bennet family. In his separate letters to Mr and Mrs Bennet, Darcy informed them he would not pay for any unnecessary expenditures and would withdraw all support from Longbourn if the matron did not cease her abuse of his wife.
Elizabeth wrote a letter to her father, informing him she knew of yet another failure to correct his family. It read, in part:
Lydia must be sent to school, and if you will not allow it, my husband will call your debt. You no longer have a choice in this matter, sir, as you have failed in your duty yet again. Your refusal to restrain your wife and child has nearly led her to ruin herself and all my sisters. Perhaps Jane and Mary are far enough removed that their reputations could be salvaged, but Kitty would be affected, as would the Bennet name. You can no longer bury your head in the sand. My husband and I will make arrangements for Lydia to attend a school for recalcitrant young ladies. We will arrive after the harvest.
This letter was included with Darcy’s letter outlining the changes to their agreement given Mr Bennet’s failure to comply so far. Anexpress rider was arranged to deliver the large packet of letters to Longbourn. Nearly every person living at Longbourn would receive a letter, and Elizabeth could only be thankful she and her husband would not be there when the letters were received. Without a doubt, it would be bad enough when they did finally arrive, but at least they would not have to deal with the initial outcry.
Their duties done for the moment, the Darcys left the sanctuary of their study and rejoined their guests. The house party continued for several more days, and while they enjoyed their company, Elizabeth and Darcy were quite relieved when the door closed behind the final guest.
Chapter Twenty-One
Once the harvest was complete, the Darcys hosted a harvest celebration for the tenants and staff of Pemberley. Elizabeth had met many of their tenants since arriving at Pemberley in June, but there were still a few families she had yet to meet. Her sisters helped with the plans, and many proclaimed it the best celebration since Lady Anne passed. The celebrations had been muted since her death, but Elizabeth, aided by her sisters and Mrs Reynolds, brought back several of her predecessor’s traditions.
A picnic on the lawn featured various delicacies from Pemberley’s kitchens that the tenants would not usually be able to try, including fruits from Pemberley’s hothouses. Georgiana and Mary arranged games for the children, something that had not been done since George Darcy’s death, and the families of Pemberley were thrilled with its addition this year. Baskets loaded with provisions and little items for the children were handed to each family during the day, and the Darcys spoke to the heads of each family during the time allotted for the picnic. The easy smile on the master’s face was a welcome sign of goodthings to come, and the tenants were pleased to see their master so happy.
That evening, on a makeshift dance floor, the tenants and Pemberley’s staff danced, and for the first time in many years, Mr and Mrs Darcy led off the dancing. At the end of the dance, when the master gently kissed his wife and then subtly caressed her waist, those who noticed wondered if the heir to Pemberley was on his way. A cheer went up, celebrating the master and mistress after the kiss, and it seemed the future of Pemberley would be secure for another generation.
A se’nnight after this,the three Darcys and two Bennets boarded carriages to travel south. They travelled together until the last day, when Georgiana and Mary continued on to London, and the Darcys and Jane Bennet travelled to Briarwood, a small manor house to the south of Meryton that Darcy leased for a month so they would have a place to stay while they dealt with the Bennet family.
Upon their arrival at Briarwood, the Darcys were greeted by the small staff hired by the solicitor who arranged the lease. Elizabeth suggested Darcy use her uncle, but Darcy preferred hiring a different solicitor in the hope they would surprise the Bennets when they arrived at Longbourn. After giving it only a moment’s thought, Elizabeth agreed that it would be best if no one at Longbourn knew precisely when they would arrive.
Their plan nearly succeeded. The Bennets were aware of the general date of their arrival because Jane posted to her mothera few days before they left, stating they would travel soon. Therefore, although their arrival at Longbourn the following day was not quite the surprise they hoped it would be, it was sufficiently unexpected that they discovered the estate was being well maintained. An early morning ride with Mr Todd allowed Darcy to speak with the steward before they visited Longbourn.
At Elizabeth’s request, Mrs Hill did not announce them. Elizabeth and Darcy made their way to Mr Bennet’s study, and when Darcy knocked on the door, Bennet immediately responded to enter. Bennet was surprised when his daughter and son entered the room, and a flicker of trepidation crossed his face.
“Darcy, Elizabeth,” Mr Bennet said as he stood. “I did not expect you today, as I expected a letter to inform me of your arrival date. Are you staying with us at Longbourn?” He motioned for his visitors to sit when he returned to his seat behind his desk. “You found me working on estate business this morning. The harvest is done, and I have collected the rents and am recording our profits now. I believe we will be able to make a payment of about one hundred pounds this quarter.”
Darcy raised his eyebrow at his father-in-law. “That is half of the amount we agreed you would pay.”
Mr Bennet scoffed. “As if I had a choice,” he complained. “Nonetheless, it is all I can afford. I was forced to pay for several dresses my wife purchased and the books Phillips confiscated on your orders. I would have let Mrs Hill go after she boxed up my books, but she informed me you would not allow this.” His tone was stern, and obviously frustrated.
Elizabeth stifled a laugh at her father’s childlike complaints. When he mentioned his new books being confiscated by hisbrother-in-law, his countenance resembled Lydia’s when she was in a snit—like a recalcitrant child whose prized toy was taken away from him.
Darcy took a breath before he spoke. “Because of your and Mrs Bennet’s expenditures on books and dresses and your failure to communicate with me as agreed, I have decided to amend our agreement. You will now repay a thousand pounds per annum instead of the eight hundred pounds we originally required. I am feeding and housing two of your daughters, not including my wife, and Lydia will be departing with us to go to school. My aunt has arranged her entry into a school for difficult girls not far from Bromley on the way to Kent. It is far enough from any town that Lydia will not be able to run away, and she will be carefully watched.”
“What?” Mr Bennet nearly roared. “You will take charge of another of my children? Why must Lydia go to school? You have already employed a governess for the little good she is doing.”
